The last two decades have seen increasing concern about the effects of internal combustion engines which, of course, are the overwhelming choice for the power plant of vehicles of all sizes and types. For one, there are concerns related to energy conservation. To address these concerns, considerable efforts have been made to increase the efficiency of vehicles. In many instances, this has been accomplished by reducing the weight of a given vehicle. In many other instances, this has been accomplished by improving the efficiency of power consuming systems on the vehicle. In still other instances, this has been accomplished by increasing the aerodynamic efficiency of the shape of the vehicle, particularly at the frontal area thereof.
Still other concerns center about the environment. Hydrocarbon and NO.sub.x emissions have long been regarded as major pollutants of the atmosphere.
Environmental concerns have also been addressed in a number of ways. For one, by increasing the efficiency of power consuming systems on a vehicle, less fuel is required to be consumed to produce the power necessary to run such systems and that, in turn, reduces emissions. For another, the combustion cycle and/or engine configuration has been addressed to improve combustion efficiency which in turn results in emission reduction. For still another, efforts have been made to reduce the maximum attained temperature of lubricants, i.e., engine oil, during vehicle operation to minimize the contribution to total emissions provided by the lubricants.
A number of the problems to be solved, and approaches to their solution, are interactive. For example, improved efficiency of power consuming systems on a vehicle reduces fuel consumption which serves both energy conservation concerns and environmental concerns.
The present invention is directed to maximizing vehicular engine related or driven system efficiency by integrating vehicular systems to attain such improved efficiency.